Long
ago, Jules Verne adaptations were all the rage on both sides of the
Atlantic. His name was often featured more prominently than the cast,
sometimes even incorporated in the title, much like Stephen King in
the 80s. Even tenuous ties to a renowned author was a viable
marketing tool. Though originally titled Jules Verne's Rocket to
the Moon, this film is to Verne's writings what The Lawnmower
Man was to King's story.

There
was also a wave of British adventure-comedies in the 60s with such
whimsical titles as Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
(and it's sequel, Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty
Jalopies). For it's US release, this film was more accurately
retitled Those Fantastic Flying Fools, suggesting a spiritual
sequel (and why not, since a few prominent British actors appear in
both films?).

It
was eventually trimmed by nearly a half-hour and rechristened
yet-again as Blast-Off. It's
been restored to its original length for this Blu-Ray release. Though
the title card reads Those Fantastic Flying Fools,
the Blu-Ray cover still identifies it as Blast-Off (one
of the ugliest Blu-Ray covers I've ever seen, by the way). Hopefully,
this clarifies things for those who might have been seeking out this
obscure film.

Burl Ives keeps an ongoing list of alternate film titles.

As
for the movie itself, Burl Ives leads a rather large international
cast as P.T. Barnum, a smooth-talking - and broke - huckster who
escapes to England with his partner/underling Tom Thumb. After
hearing a lecture by explosives expert Siegfried von Bulow (Gert
Frobe), who wants to reach the moon by shooting a capsule from a
massive cannon, Barnum gets behind the endeavor and recruits others to
try and make it happen. Meanwhile, Charles Dillworthy (Lionel
Jeffries), whose original spaceship design is discarded in favor of one by Gaylord Sullivan (Troy Donahue), plots with his brother-in-law (Terry-Thomas, once again
playing...well, Terry-Thomas) to sabotage the launch.

Some
of this is mildly amusing, especially von Bulow's explosives tests
(he seems to simply enjoy blowing stuff up), though seldom
uproarious. And, unlike the films it tries to emulate, Blast-Off
is somewhat hampered by an obviously lower budget; the 'wacky'
moments resemble something you'd see in a Benny Hill sketch. The film
is also very leisurely
paced for a comedy, though the cast appears to be having a good time.

Far
from a classic, Blast-Off is
harmless fluff that'll hold some nostalgic value to the few who
recall enjoying it as children. Just don't expect your own brood
to be quite as enthralled, as this film is undoubtedly a product of
its time.

The Doll

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About D.M. Anderson

D.M. Anderson works and lives in Portland Oregon. He is the author of two young adult novels (Killer Cows & Shaken) and a collection of dark tales (With the Wicked). He has also published several short stories which have appeared (or will appear) in various anthologies and magazines such as 69 Flavors of Paranoia, Night Terrors, Trembles, Encounters, Implosion, Strange Fucking Stories, Perpetual Motion Machine. He documents his adventures in the dark onon his movie site, Free Kittens Movie Guide.